Started with a Kiss
by Abby1521
Summary: After three years of working on her farm, Holly feels like her life is perfect. But after she shares an unexpected kiss with Westown's flirtatious postman, she feels like her life is flipped upside down. Wayne was the one man she swore to herself that she would never fall for...but now she's falling even harder for him than her own boyfriend. ( I do not own any SoS characters.).
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: How It Started

Did you ever do something that you wish you could take back?

Actually, scratch that.

Did you ever do something so terribly wrong, so terribly embarrassing, so terribly _awful_ that you wish you could just sink beneath the ground and curl up in the fetal position?

Well, I was having one of those days today.

And this is how it started.

I woke up just like I did every morning at 5:30 AM on the dot. I twisted my long blond hair into two braids, threw on an old pair of dirt-stained overalls, and went to take care of the many duties on my farm. Yes, you heard me right: I run a farm. And I do a pretty darn good job of it, might I add.

After getting ready for the day, I would walk outside to begin my usual routine. I'd start by watering my crops (tulips, vegetables, and fruits in that order) and then go take care of my animals. I had four cows, two sheep, an alpaca, and too many chickens to count. And oh yeah, I had a border collie named Collin. Real creative, I know.

After that was done, I made the usual rounds to the three towns that surrounded my farm. I'd deliver all sorts of goods to the many residents Westown, Lulukoko, and Tsuyukusa, who I had grown extremely close with during the past two years that I had lived here.

As I was making my way into Westown, the final stop of my day, I nearly ran right into my Uncle Frank, who ran a farm of his own. He was the one who had convinced to move out here and start my own farming business, and I owed a lot of my success to him. That was why each day I brought him an extra bottle of milk. It was the least I could do.

"Mornin', Holly!" He greeted me, a hearty grin on his face. His bright orange beard was covered in hay and straw. "How are ya hangin in on this lovely afternoon?"

I smiled. "I'm doing quite well, Uncle Frank. How about yourself? I brought you some milk."

He immediately grinned once I pulled the two bottles of milk out of my rucksack and he eagerly accepted the offering, popping open one of the bottles and chugging the milk in one sip.

"That milk tastes mighty fine," He complimented me. "Almost as good as the kind my cows make. You sure are becoming one heck of a farmer, Holls."

I shrugged, still smiling. "Hey, I learned from the best!"

"There's someone I want you to meet," Uncle Frank winked at me. He gestured to one of his many barns. "I bought a new cow yesterday. She's a real beauty."

"I'd love to see her."

"Right this way, then." With that, we headed towards his spacious barn where he kept all of his award-winning animals. I loved getting to spend with Uncle Frank's cows. They were some of the most gentle cows I had ever met...unlike my cows, who had the temperaments of grouchy old ladies.

Once we entered his barn, a beautiful cow with a milky white face and black spots covering her back raised her head from where she lay on a pile of hay. She seemed to give me an uncertain look and I smiled gently at her, trying to let her know she could trust me.

"Ain't she something?" Uncle Frank remarked with admiration. He sighed a bit to himself. "I won her at an auction the other day. Poor thing was gonna be sold to some folks who didn't know how to take care of her. She hasn't had it easy."

"Well, she's lucky to have you," I concluded, and I began to make my way over to the now trembling cow. "What's her name?"

"Lucy. Lulu for short," Uncle Frank chuckled.

I outstretched one of my palms towards Lucy to pat her head, and she almost seemed to narrow her eyes at me.

"Careful," Uncle Frank warned. "She's a bit skittish…"

The words had just barely left his mouth when Lucy suddenly jumped up from her place in the hay and bolted out of the barn before I could blink. Uncle Frank never kept his barn doors shut...most of his cows knew enough not to leave the property of his farm...but this cow certainly didn't seem to know these boundaries yet.

"Lucy!" Uncle Frank yelped, but the cow was already gone.

"Oh my goddess, I'm so sorry," I stammered quickly, my heart racing and the guilt settling in my stomach. "I'll go get her. It was my fault that she ran away."

"No," Uncle Frank shook his head. "I should have known better than to keep the barn door open with a new cow in the mix."

"I was the one that frightened her," I replied grimly. "I'm the one that needs to find her."

"Holly…"

"You can count on me, Uncle Frank!" I saluted, racing out of the barn and making my way over to the path that led to the heart of Westown. Chasing a rogue cow around town certainly wasn't the impression I wanted to make on the local residents today, but my options at the moment were limited.

And this was how my horrible day began.

The sun was shining brightly. Not a single cloud hung in the sky. A small breeze swept through the unusually peaceful Westown, and the bright orange dirt on the ground stayed strangely in its place. It was almost a picture perfect moment.

But then, alas! Here I was, ready to ruin the moment yet again! It was one of my many talents.

I raced into town, kicking up the orange dirt as I did so. My clunky farmer boots hit the ground with a resounding _thud_ with each step that I took and I was so out of breath that I was basically heaving by the time I reached the post office. People turned to look at me with rather perplexed expressions, but I didn't care. I had to find this cow before someone else did.

I was so fixated on running around town like a chicken with its head cut off that I wasn't even watching where I was going. I smacked into something solid and immediately tumbled to the ground.

I rubbed my now sore forehead and looked up to see who was standing in front of me. I groaned out of habit.

Just when I thought this day couldn't get any worse, it did before my very eyes.

"Well," He chuckled, his southern drawl prominent. He adjusted his cowboy hat and his deep blue eyes sparkled with amusement. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were a bit too excited to see me."

"Shut up, Wayne," I muttered, standing myself up and brushing the orange dust off my overalls. If I was any other girl, the man standing before me would seem like a dream. With his dirty blonde hair, boyish grin, aquamarine eyes, and careless wit and charm, he had many of the girls in town falling all over him. But to me, he was simply the postman who thought everyone was in love with him. And his ego? Well, let's not comment on that one.

"What has you running into town like a headless chicken?" He grinned at me, tightening the strap on the satchel that held his daily mail deliveries. "Trying to get in a morning run?"

"If you must know," I rolled my eyes. "I'm chasing a lost cow."

"A lost cow?"

I nodded. "Yes, it's classified and important business, so if you'd excuse me…"

Wayne scratched his chin thoughtfully. "But aren't cows...big? Like, shouldn't it be hard for you to lose one?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Coming from I postman," I retorted. "I wouldn't expect you to know too much about farm animals."

Wayne rewarded me with a small laugh. "I suppose you're right."

Now, let me just take this moment to gift you all with a bit of knowledge: sometimes it was hard for me to hate the guy. I mean, he was definitely a friendly individual and he almost never returned my snappy comments with a rude one in return. So I had to give him credit for that, at least.

And it's not like Wayne and I weren't friends. Sure, we weren't the _best_ of friends. But after living on my farm for two years, I had become fairly acquainted with just about everyone in the three villages. Wayne and I often enjoyed going back and forth with playful banter, and I enjoyed bothering him and flustering him. Because let's face it, when you're dealing with a guy who harnesses an ego as big as his, the funniest thing to do is embarrass him.

But was I falling all over Wayne like the rest of the girls in town? No, of course not. I didn't see what was so great about him. Besides, he loved all the attention he got. He was the biggest flirt around these parts. His occasional cockiness was enough for me to stay away from him most of the time (when I had the choice).

Apparently destiny wasn't on my side today, since I had basically run right into him (literally).

"So…" Wayne sort of rocked back and forth on his feet. "Are you going to the festival tonight?"

"There's a festival tonight?"

"I'll take that as a no," Wayne chuckled. "It's basically a festival celebrating all three of the towns. Everyone is baking a bunch of goods and Frank is lighting off a ton of fireworks to celebrate the beginning of summer. There's gonna be a lot of dancing too."

"Dancing?" I raised an eyebrow. "That seems a bit too coordinated for my liking. And besides, I have a cow to find."

"I'm sure you'll find her before tonight."

"Not at this rate," I rolled my eyes. "Look, it's been great talking to ya, Wayne, but I have to go."

"You know," Wayne grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "I still need a date for the festival."

"Oh, well I'm sure you'll find one," I answered smoothly. "Just about every girl in this town wants to marry you, so I'm sure you won't have an issue finding someone to go with."

"Holly, you know that's not true."

As if on cue, two girls (probably just a little older than us) walked by with blushes on their faces, smiling nervously at Wayne.

"Hi, Wayne," One of them giggled. The other batted her eyelashes at him.

I almost gagged.

"Hey girls," Wayne tipped his hat at them, flashing them one of his killer smiles.

The girls giggled excitedly with each other, and then ran off, whispering to each other giddily.

"See what I mean?" I gestured to the retreating backs of the girls in a frustrated manner. "Two potential girlfriends shamelessly throwing themselves at you."

"Bad timing," Wayne shrugged with a small frown.

"You're right, this is bad timing," I agreed with him. "I have a cow to find."

Something shifted in Wayne's expression, and maybe I'm crazy, but he sort of looked a little disappointed as I walked away.

At least the one success I could take from today was that I _did_ find Lucy the lost cow. She was grazing on a small patch of grass in front of the general store, and I quickly tied a loose rope around her neck to lead her back to Uncle Frank's farm.

After returning her to her rightful owner, I decided my work was done for the day. I decided that in order to cheer myself up, I would reward myself by visiting my current boyfriend, Ford.

Ford was Westown's local doctor. Though a bit eccentric and often too engrossed in his clinical work, he was a sweet man who I had come to admire within the past few weeks of my relationship with him.

I suppose it wasn't accurate for me to call him my "boyfriend", per say. I mean, him and I _were_ an item. Except Ford didn't really want to put a label on it, claiming he hadn't the time for something more serious. And the town didn't realize I was sort of dating him, as I kept the whole thing under wraps to avoid town gossip.

But alas, Ford could always cheer me up no matter the day.

I eagerly entered his doctor's clinic with a huge smile on my face. I had dressed in one of my best dresses (a fitted red dress with a small bow on its back) because I had an important question I needed to ask him.

"Holly!" Ford grinned when he saw me. He had been sitting at his desk and stood up to greet me as I entered. "I wasn't expecting to see you so soon today. What a pleasant surprise."

I grinned at him. This day was getting better already.

"It's nice to see you," I smiled, blushing.

Ford came up to me and wrapped his arms around my waist, examining my dress with acute interest. "You look lovely. What's the occasion?"

"Wellllll…" I started off slowly, my heart rate increasing a little. "There's something I wanted to ask you."

"I mean, if you wanted to take this upstairs, I think you already know my answer."

"Ford!" I squeaked at him. "That's not what I meant!"

"Then carry on." He grinned devilishly at me.

"There's sort of this festival going on tonight. And I…" I took a deep breath. "I sort of wanted you to be my date? I mean, if you wanted to. There's gonna be a lot of food and dancing and people and…"

The smile dropped from Ford's face. "A festival?" He stared past me for a second, looking thoughtful. "That sounds a little...crowded, doesn't it?"

"Well yeah, that's kind of the point," I explained to him. "All three towns are taking part in the celebration."

"But it sounds so…" Disgust filled his expression for a second. ".. _germy_."

I rolled my eyes. Did I mention Ford was an extreme germophobe?

"Ford, not every place outside of your house is filled with germs."

"Oh, but that's where you're wrong! Do you know how many billions of germs live on…!"

"Ford," I interrupted him. "Forget about the germs. Can't we just enjoy _one_ night together? Who cares what anyone else thinks? Who cares about the germs? I just want to have a fun night with you."

"Well, this festival certainly doesn't sound like my idea of fun."

I frowned. _Why was he being like this?_ A lump started to form in my throat.

"You know, forget I asked," I finally stated glumly. Today had been such a hassle already, I really wasn't in the mood for anymore debates. "We can just do something else tonight."

"I think you should still attend the event," Ford shrugged. "I mean, it sounds like you were looking forward to it."

 _I was_ , I answered internally. _But I wanted to go with you._

"I guess so," I stared down at the floor. The disappointment of the situation felt heavy in my stomach.

"Why don't you go?" Ford suggested again. "All of the villagers would love to see you there. You're basically a celebrity around these parts."

I grimaced. _Don't remind me_ , I wanted to say.

I felt like this situation was...all wrong. Shouldn't a guy that liked me go out of his way to try to make me happy? Shouldn't be push himself just a _bit_ out of his comfort zone to have a fun night with me? Ford's reluctance to compromise certainly wasn't promising.

But of course, just to dig myself into a deeper hole today, I decided against my better judgment to attend the festival solo.

That would turn out to be the biggest mistake of my day.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Kiss

Before the festival even started, I was already exhausted.

 _Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all_ , I thought to myself.

The festival grounds were lively and bright. Villagers from Westown, Lulukoko, and Tsuyukusa mingled about the place, laughing and having fun with each other. Some danced casually with another, others stuffed their faces with food from the giant buffet table. Uncle Frank played his guitar softly off to the side, providing a cheery background tune for the festivities. The local shop owners from all three of the towns had set up stands to sell their products. It seemed to be a celebratory environment, but after today's previous excursions, I wasn't in such a celebratory mood.

"Holly!" A familiar voice called my name.I turned around to find the source of the voice. It was Komari, a local Tsuyukusa resident. Over the past two years, she had become one of my best friends. She was a bit blunt at times with her words, but in my opinion it only added to her genuity. "I'm so glad you were able to make it!"

I grinned at her. _Okay, maybe this night could get better after all._ "Well, why wouldn't I?"

Komari crossed her arms over her chest. "I know you, Holls. Sometimes that darn farm of yours takes priority over everything." She paused. "As it should, but you need to learn how to have some fun."

"I know how to have fun!" I protested.

Komari smirked. "Sure ya do, Holly."

I was about to protest for a second time when I was interrupted by the jack of all trades from Lulukoko, Ludus, making his way over to us.

"Hey, Holly," He smiled warmly at me, his earth-toned skin glistening in the evening light of the sky. "Glad you could make it."

I smiled back at him. My mind was immediately brought back to the first year on my farm, when I had been madly in love with Ludus. He was a handsome man, for sure,with tanned skin and long purple hair twisted back into a ponytail. But it was his character that really spoke to me. He was a role model to all the children in Lulukoko, and he was always watching over the other residents of the town, helping them fix and build whatever he could. I remember making stupid excuses to visit Lulukoko just so I could see him.

"I'm glad I could make it too," I grinned. As I said this, I felt a small pang in my heart. _I wish Ford could have made it._

"Would you care for a dance?" Ludus extended his calloused hand out to me.

My eyes grew wide. He wanted to dance? With me? Komari coyly raised her eyebrows as my mouth hung open in surprise.

However, my racing thoughts were interrupted by Alma, one of the little girls that lived in Lulukoko. Though only a small child, she was convinced Ludus was her future husband.

"Ludus!" She called out before I could return the favor to dance. "You promised you would dance with me instead!"

Ludus gave me an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry Holly, but I _did_ promise her that." He reached out and squeezed my hand. "Save the last dance for me?"

I nodded, unable to speak. _Did that actually just happen?_ As soon as Ludus was out of earshot, Komari began her thorough interrogation.

"What?" I tried to play dumb.

"You know what," She shot back. "What _was_ that?"

"Hey, it's not how it looks," I retorted. "You know that I'm into Ford." Komari was the only individual I confided in about my hushed relationship with the local doctor.

Komari raised an eyebrow. "Well where _is_ Ford?"

I was embarrassed to let her know the truth. "He, ah...he was feeling a bit under the weather."

"The town doctor couldn't find a magical cure to make himself feel better so he could spend the night with this girlfriend?"

"I mean, _technically_ I'm not his girlfriend yet," I pointed out. "So he really has no obligation to spend time with me."

"Sounds like you're wasting your time on him," Komari offered bluntly. "I'd go find someone else to dance with and enjoy the night for what it is, if I were you."

I hated to admit it, but Komari had a fair point. Just because Ford wasn't here...and because he had firmly chosen _not_ to be here...didn't mean I couldn't have fun tonight. This festival only came around once a year, and I wanted to enjoy it to the fullest. Especially since today had been so...well….awful.

"You're right," I admitted. "But who am I gonna dance with? Ludus doesn't seem to be...available right now." I looked over to the spot in the middle of the festival grounds where Ludus twirled Alma around in circles as she laughed for joy. It was a heart-warming sight for sure, but it wasn't really helping my dilemma at the moment.

Komari scanned the festival grounds for an acceptable dance partner. "Well, what about that postman guy? You and him are friends, right?"

This was the particular moment that I decided to take a sip of the water I had been holding, and I nearly spit it out as she said this.

"Ew," I choked. "I am _not_ dancing with him."

"Hey, beggars can't be choosers."

"I'm not a beggar," I said. "And besides, he seems a bit preoccupied."

I followed Komari's gaze and saw Wayne standing in a corner of the festival grounds. He was wearing a fitted white dress shirt and dark blue jeans. His blonde hair swayed in the light summer breeze, and his usual cowboy hat was nowhere to be found. He seemed to be having a good time.

And oh yeah, he was surrounded by about five other girls.

"Just ask him to dance," Komari shrugged. "How hard can it be?"

"Look, I'm not about to stoop to the level of every other girl that's ever been in love with him. I'm stronger than that."

"You're not asking for his freakin hand in marriage," Komari seemed annoyed. "You're just asking him to dance. He looks like he knows how to have a good time."

"Yeah, let me just go wait in that ridiculously long line of girls for a turn to dance with him."

"You know, you're as stubborn as a horse sometimes," Komari smirked at me.

She made no further argument after this remark, however, and I was quite relieved for thar. After that, the night continued on somewhat smoothly. The sky grew darker. Bright stars appeared in the sky above and the full moon shone brightly on the festival grounds. Komari went to stuff her face at the buffet table and I wandered around the festival grounds, making idle chatter with some of the townsfolk. It wasn't the fun night I had hoped for, but it certainly wasn't terrible either.

Or so I thought.

As I halfheartedly watched my Uncle Frank strum an unfamiliar tune on his guitar, sulking a bit as I thought about the day's events, and how I had to chase after a rogue cow, crash into the postman, and have my festival invitation rejected by my sort-of boyfriend, it was then that I felt a light tap on my shoulder.

Expecting to see Komari or Ludus, I turned around with a small measure of excitement.

The smile immediately dropped from my lips when I saw who was standing before me.

"Hey, pretty lady," Wayne smiled at me, flashing his blinding white teeth. He seemed to appraise me for a moment. "I must say, you're lookin' mighty fine in that dress tonight."

I internally groaned to myself. _Could this night get any worse?_

"Wow, I wonder how many other girls you said that to within the past hour?" I snapped.

Wayne chuckled. "Just you, actually."

"What did you say? Twelve? That's what I thought."

"I heard you wanted to dance," He brushed past my comment.

 _What? Dance? Who had told him I wanted to dance with him?_

"And what kind of screwed up grapevine did you hear _that_ from?" I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Komari."

"Komari?" _I was gonna kill her._ "Well, Komari must have a bit of misinformation. I'm not really in the mood to dance tonight."

"C'mon," Wayne lightly elbowed me. "I haven't seen you dance with a single person all night. You might have fun."

"Thanks, but no thanks," I turned around to continue watching my Uncle Frank again.

"It doesn't have to be a slow dance," Wayne continued.

"Sorry, but I'm not interested."

It was then that a flash of movement caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head to see Ludus begin dancing with Iluka, a co-owner of the tea house in Lulukoko. He smiled down at her and she smiled back, and he pulled her closer to dance with her. I felt an unexpected wave of disappointment and realized that if I was saving a dance for Ludus, I might not get to dance tonight at all.

"Just one dance," Wayne stated. "I promise you'll have a good time."

I sucked in a deep breath. This day _really_ couldn't get any worse, so why not just throw in the towel and lose my resolve to fix it?

"Fine," I caved in. "But just one dance."

Wayne grinned. "I can't wait."

A part of me was wondering why he was being so nice to me, but then I remembered: this was how he treated all of the girls. My thoughts traveled back to my very first interaction with the postman two years ago, and I tried to recall why I hated him so much.

"You know…" Wayne had grinned devilishly at me. "When Frank said he had a relative coming, I never expected someone this much of a looker."

 _Gag._

Okay, sure, in that moment I had been rather flattered. I'll admit it. I had only one boyfriend before my move to the farm, so receiving an unexpected compliment from a handsome stranger was a pleasant surprise.

That is, until I found out that Wayne was an incurable flirt who pulled that line out of thin air whenever he laid eyes on a new girl.

 _What do all the girls see in him, anyways?_ I wondered to myself. Sure, he was nice. And yeah, you'd have to be blind to say he wasn't cute. But still.

Wayne and I made our way to the center of the festival grounds and Uncle Frank picked that moment to start playing a ballad on his guitar.

"Great," I groaned.

The coupled up individuals around us began to slow dance. My mind immediately went to Ford and I frowned. _Why couldn't he have been here tonight?_ If Ford had just swallowed his pride and decided to attend the festival with me, then I would have had a fantastic time tonight, and I wouldn't be dancing with the local postman who I more or less couldn't stand.

I began to wonder where I stood with Ford, and if he actually cared about me at all.

 _Of course he cares about you,_ said the reassuring voice in my head.

 _But what if he doesn't really care that much?_ The nagging voice in my head protested.

I couldn't look at Wayne as he loosely wrapped his arms around my waist and I haphazardly put my arms around his neck. We swayed slowly to the soft beat of the music.

This might have been the most awkward slow dance of my life. My gaze wandered to the bystanders of the crowd. A group of girls glared at me from a distance. Komari smiled smugly.

 _Great,_ I thought. _Now I have a group of psycho girls who are gonna hunt me down and eat me alive by tomorrow._

"Sooo," Wayne tried to break the awkward silence. "This isn't so bad, is it?"

"Do you need an answer to that question?" I rolled my eyes.

I had to admit though, I wasn't exactly hating this. I stole a quick glance at Wayne. He was smiling down at me and his blue eyes were soft. I tried not to be distracted by his back and shoulder muscles, which I could feel through his shirt as I held him. Maybe carrying heavy packages to and from the post office gave him those.

Wait...what?

 _Snap out of it, Holly!_ I thought frantically to myself. _This is WAYNE standing in front of you, remember? The Wayne you can't stand? The Wayne that probably kissed twenty girls in the past week?_

"Did you ever find your lost cow?" Wayne chuckled, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I nodded. "Fortunately. She's Uncle Frank's new cow. He bought her at an auction and she's still a bit untrusting with people."

Wayne frowned. It was the first time I had seen him frown all night. "Poor thing. I hate to see animals mistreated."

"Me too," I nodded. _Wait, did we just have something in common?_

"I love animals," Wayne admitted. "But my job keeps me pretty busy so I usually don't have a whole lot of time to spend with them."

"Well you could always come visit my farm," I offered. "I have a ton of animals there, and they won't run off like Uncle Frank's cow."

Wait, did that just come out of my mouth?

"I'd love that," Wayne smiled.

 _Great,_ I internally face-palmed. _Can't I learn to keep my mouth shut for once?_

"I mean...if you don't have any set plans when you visit," I tried to retract my statement. "I wouldn't want to interrupt your twenty-first date of the week, would I?"

Wayne gave me an odd look. "You know…" He hesitated for moment. "I'm not like that, Holly."

"Sure," I snorted at him. "And my name is Fred, I own elephants instead of cows, and Ford eats food off the floor."

"I'm serious," He looked me straight in the eyes. "I've only had one girlfriend before I moved to Westown, and I haven't had another since."

"I'm not buying it."

Frank ended his ballad and began another, and I began to think that the world hated me today. This slow dance was never gonna end.

"I've been waiting for the right girl to come along," Wayne continued. "Sure, there are a lot of girls around these parts, but they're nothin' special. I'm waiting for one who's different than the rest."

"Well good luck," I offered awkwardly. I wasn't exactly sure how else to respond.

Another awkward silence settled between us as Uncle Frank continued to pluck away at his slow song. A cold, nighttime breeze swept through the festival grounds and I shivered in my sleeveless dress. Wayne noticed and gently pulled me closer. I could feel his body heat against mine

A part of me wanted to ask for some personal space, to tell him to back up and go find someone else to dance with: but a part of me didn't want to.

Wayne laughed nervously. "I'm not usually at a loss for words like this," He admitted.

"I've noticed," I rolled my eyes. Geez, why was my heart beating faster? Why was I enjoying this? I needed to go to bed. Wayne wasn't going to have the same pull over me like he had on every other girl. He wasn't.

 _Walk away, Holly_ , warned the voice in my head. _Walk away. WALK. AWAY._

"I will say, though," Wayne's gaze became intense. "You really do look beautiful in that dress."

And here it was, folks. The greatest mistake I made all day.

I honestly couldn't tell you how it happened. One minute I was staring into Wayne's eyes, swaying to the steady thrum of the music. But then everything changed for just a small moment. The whole day hit me: Ford ditching me at the festival for some stupid germophobic reason, Ludus slow-dancing with another girl about fifteen feet away, my inability to console Uncle Frank's cow. I was suddenly hyper aware of my seemingly lack of importance to others, and my feelings were in an uproar. To be honest, I couldn't exactly describe _how_ I was feeling at the moment. I just wanted to feel...well, _wanted_.

And then I was kissing him.

Yep, you heard me right the first time.

I was kissing _Wayne_ , the one guy I couldn't stand, the one guy that had probably kissed a million other girls before me, the one guy that I didn't want to dance with tonight. I was kissing him and he was kissing me back.

 _Oh goddess._

His lips were soft and tasted like sweet mint. He pulled me closer and I melted into his arms, and I felt his body pressed tightly against mine. My head was spinning and I felt as though I couldn't breathe properly. I felt the glares of at least five other girls shoot in my direction.

My conscience finally kicked into overdrive.

"No," I said suddenly, pulling away. Wayne opened his eyes and I could see how flushed his face was, even though the only light on the festival grounds came from the moon above. "No...I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking, I shouldn't have done that…"

Yeah, what WAS I thinking about two seconds ago? Or...I don't know, how long did that kiss last? Ten seconds? Twenty? Okay, so what was I _thinking_ twenty seconds ago?

All this time I had sworn I would never be like all the girls falling all over Wayne. All this time that I had sworn I was better than them. But I was exactly like them, only _worse_. I had succumbed to Wayne's gravitational pull and...oh goddess, I felt awful.

"I...I didn't mind," Wayne stammered, flustered. Wow, did I actually get the usually smooth Wayne to stutter? That was the one victory from this night, I suppose.

"I know, but that was wrong," I explained hurriedly. "I wasn't supposed to do that at all."

I suddenly felt the tears welling up in my eyes. This day was a mess; an absolute disaster, might I add. There was no way of fixing it now.

And...Ford. I felt my heart drop into my stomach.

 _How was I going to tell Ford?_

"I need to go," I said, pushing past Wayne and running away from the festival grounds as quickly as my feet could carry me. I didn't really know what I was running from, but I just wanted to run away from everyone who had seen me make a fool of myself, and run back to my farm and hide in my bed forever.

What I didn't notice was the way Komari's mouth hung open in shock (or maybe it was pride, who knows?). What I didn't notice was the disappointed look that crossed Ludus's face when he noticed I was kissing Wayne.

What I didn't notice was the way Wayne watched me go, his eyes somber and his smile dissolved, and his heart shattered.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

 _My hands tangled through his blonde hair. He wrapped his arms tighter around my waist, pulling me closer. He kissed me deeply and with fervor. We collapsed onto the grassy meadow and I ended up on top of him, never breaking our kiss._

" _Holly," He breathed, pulling away for a second. He brushed a strand of hair behind my ear and smiled. "You know, you look really beautiful in that dress..."_

" _Wayne...I...We shouldn't…" I stammered, but I didn't want to stop. I wanted him._

" _Why shouldn't we?" He asked. "What's stopping us?"_

And that was when I woke up.

As the sun shone through my bedroom window the next morning, I woke up with a rather large smile on my face. The day was bright. The air was warm. It was going to be a beautiful summer day.

 _Wait a minute..._

My bliss was immediately interrupted as thoughts of last night returned to my consciousness.

 _Oh goddess._

"Someone _please_ tell me that festival was just a terrible dream," I groaned to myself, pulling the blankets over my face.

Maybe if I didn't leave my bed, people around these parts would begin to forget about me. After a few months had passed and I lived out my life as recluse, I'd leave town with a burlap sack and hitchhike all the way to the other side of the country. Nobody would even recognize me and I'd come up with a new name. I'd be a nomad. It'd be a quaint life.

 _Think realistically,_ the rational voice pleaded in my head.

I sighed.

Fine, I was going to _try_ to think about this whole situation rationally.

It was just a kiss. That was it. It didn't mean anything, right? It didn't have to mean anything.

In fact, I'm sure things with me and Wayne were already back to normal. We'd both continue on with our lives today as if nothing happened; he could date twenty other girls and I could go back to hating him like I usually did.

And then I could tell Ford that last night was just a fluke (a really _terrible_ fluke, might I add) and everything would just be smooth-sailing after that. Simple.

I sighed again.

 _Maybe this was going to be harder than I thought._

Okay, if I was going to successfully move past this, I needed to admit a few things first.

I didn't actually hate Wayne. I just _strongly_ disliked him

This was all partially Ford's fault. I mean, if he had just accompanied me to the festival like he was supposed to do, then I wouldn't have felt unwanted and I wouldn't have even danced with Wayne at all.

Wayne wasn't a _terrible_ kisser. I mean, he was still a bad kisser but he wasn't terrible.

There. That oughta do it.

Taking a deep breath, I pulled myself out of bed and took a small glance at myself in the mirror on the wall. My long blond hair was tangled and disheveled and my eyes had about four bags under them. But despite my current state of being, this day had to progress as it usually did. I had a farm to take care of.

And I had to face Ford and Wayne sooner or later, so I supposed it was now or never.

"Holls, why does it look like you've seen some sort of ghost?" Uncle Frank's booming voice seemed to carry across the entirety of Westown.

I grimaced to myself. Pretty much everyone in town had told me the same exact thing today.

I dropped the sack of vegetables I was carrying in a defeated manner. I had been making my usual rounds around the three towns, delivering the villagers their daily helpings of fresh crops from my farm. It was not a particularly efficient day, however, as it was only noon and I felt like I needed to sleep for another ten hours.

"Uncle Frank, I have a question for you," I proclaimed. Uncle Frank had been pulling weeds from his vegetable garden on his hands and knees, but stopped to look up at me as I said this. I cleared my throat. "Have you ever done something you wish you could take back?"

Uncle Frank granted me a perplexed look. Confusion passed through his face as he wiped a few beads of sweat from his forehead, but suddenly his eyebrows furrowed as though he reached a certain realization. "My word, Holly. This is about a boy, isn't it?"

"W-what? No!" I spluttered. I felt my face turn red and I cleared my throat. "I was just...asking a hypothetical question..."

"Right," Uncle Frank stood up and crossed his arms.

"I just…" I trailed off. My thoughts seemed to complete the sentence: _I just wish Ford hadn't abandoned me last night. I just wish Ludus wanted to dance with me. I just wish Wayne wasn't such a good kisser….wait, what?_ I felt my cheeks grow even redder. Where had _that_ thought come from?

"You just what?" Uncle Frank raised an eyebrow at me.

"I just wish this town weren't so dang small," I muttered.

Uncle Frank chuckled. "You and me both, Holls." He patted my shoulder in a sympathetic manner. "Look, I've known you since the day you were born and I know something's up. But let me just offer you a piece of advice." He gave me a reassuring smile. "You're well liked around these parts. Everybody respects you for the work you've been able to accomplish on your farm. So don't worry about what everyone thinks of ya, all right? Follow your heart." He chuckled and poked me in the stomach. "And trust your gut."

I grimaced. As he said the word "gut", I felt my stomach begin to twist into knots.

How could I begin to follow my heart if I didn't even know what it wanted anymore?

"Holly!" the little girl from Lulukoko, Alma, ran up to greet me with open arms. "What kind of present did you bring me from your farm today?"

I smiled. No matter what kind of day I was having, Alma could always cheer me up.

It was the early evening and I was making my last rounds of delivering goods for the day in Lulukoko. Lulukoko was always one of my favorite places to visit, especially as the sun was beginning to set. The way the setting sun turned the blue ocean a bright orange, to the way the soft tropical breeze blew through my long hair, to the way the air smelled of sweet fruit, I always found myself feeling at home here...even though I had grown up nowhere near an ocean, oddly enough.

"Hey Alma," I greeted her warmly. "I brought something special for you today…" I reached into my bag and pulled out a bottle of homemade fruit punch.

Alma's bright eyes sparkled in return. "Is that fruit punch? That's my favorite! How did you know?" She eagerly grabbed the bottle from my hand, beaming from ear to ear. "You're my favorite person EVER Holly! I even like you better than Ludus!"

I chuckled but I felt my heart lurch slightly as she mentioned Ludus. My mind was immediately brought to the night before, where Ludus had promised me a dance but completely forgot to keep his word. Although I shouldn't have been surprised, since my luck seemed rather cursed in the boyfriend department recently.

As if on cue, a husky voice piped up from behind me: "Ah, so it looks like I have a bit of competition now?"

I turned around to see Ludus standing behind me with an eyebrow raised and a crooked smile. His tan skin glistened in the sunlight. I felt my heart rate increase slightly.

Alma grinned at him. "Ludus! You'll never guess what Holly made me!" She held up her bottle of fruit punch proudly. "She made me my favorite drink!"

Ludus grinned at Alma and then he turned to me, flashing me a killer smile. I wanted to snap, _Where's Iluka? Shouldn't you find her for a dance again?_

"Holly _is_ pretty great," He admitted, his eyes meeting mine. I looked down at my feet, trying to hide a slight blush. I told myself that none of this mattered, that even though I used to have the biggest crush on Ludus, I had Ford now and a whole other situation with the local postman. That was certainly enough drama for a mere farmer like me, was it not?

"Yes but I'm still marrying you though," Alma announced. She ran over to Ludus and grabbed him in a tight hug before happily skipping away. I watched her skip into the distance, wishing that I could be as carefree as her.

A small silence hung in the air as Ludus stood before me. I wasn't sure exactly what to say, mostly because I just wanted to forget that last night had ever happened.

Ludus suddenly seemed a little uncomfortable. "So...you and Wayne, huh?"

I looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I saw you two dancing together last night," Ludus blushed slightly.

"Oh, we're just...friends," I struggled to put a label on my relationship with Wayne. What _were_ we anyways? Most of the time he annoyed the heck out of me, but it was frustratingly difficult to ignore him sometimes. If there was one thing I knew for sure though, we definitely were _not_ more than friends. "Besides, I saw you dancing with Iluka last night."

Ludus smiled warmly. "Iluka is like a sister to me. I would have much rather spent my last dance with you."

His words were sincere and I found myself slightly taken aback at his genuinity. It seemed so impossible that someone like Ludus could like me.

 _You have Ford_ , the nagging voice in my head reminded me, and for a moment I convinced myself that he was enough and it didn't matter that Ludus wanted to dance with me last night.

"Well, I uh...appreciate the gesture," I stammered awkwardy. I wasn't exactly sure how to respond.

Ludus smiled at me. "Of course." His gaze was suddenly intense.

Another silence hung between us. But there was more than silence between us this time, there was...tension?

"I should probably get back to my farm," I shifted uncomfortably beneath his gaze. I hated how much I was liking his attention.

Before I could turn to leave, Ludus gently grabbed my hand. His hands were rough and warm. He looked into my eyes intently. "Make sure you stop by Lulukoko again soon, all right?"

I swallowed a lump that I didn't notice had been forming in my throat. My heart hammered in my chest. "Of course. I'll see you around." I managed a small smile.

But on the inside, as I walked away from the tropical village and headed on the road towards my farm, I felt more confused than ever.

This had probably been the longest day of my life.

Normally I was finished with my farmwork once the evening had set, but I had too much on my mind to merely sit around for the rest of the night. I methodically planted a new row of tulips in my garden as my mind raced.

For whatever reason, my mind was stuck on Ludus. Maybe it was because of his kind eyes or his genuine soul, or maybe it was because he was sculpted like a Greek god. Or maybe it was because I realized that he was the type of guy I deserved. Not some germophobic doctor who refused to be seen in public with me, or some postman who had a new girl every day...but a man who genuinely cared about others. Although I kept reminding myself that Ludus probably didn't like me that much, and that I would be destined to be forever alone.

Despite all of these thoughts, however, my mind kept drifting back to Wayne. I hated it. I felt just as stupid as all of the other girls falling all over him. The way he had kissed me, the way his shoulder muscles had felt through his shirt, the way he had held me...I had to admit, it was intoxicating.

 _And that's exactly what every other girl on this planet thinks,_ the wry voice in my head remarked. I shook my head at myself as I retrieved a watering can to water my new row of tulips.

Besides, Wayne was annoying. Not only was he a flirt, but he walked around like he was better than everyone else.

"What an egotistical prude," I muttered to myself.

"Say it louder for the people in the back," A southern voice laughed behind me. I nearly jumped out of my skin.

This could NOT be happening right now. Every time I thought of someone today, they suddenly appeared behind me. First Ludus, and now this?

"Wayne?" I spluttered. _Oh goddess, could this day get any worse?_

Wayne chuckled. "The one and only." He paused for a minute, looking at me thoughtfully. "So...egotistical prude? Is that how you talk to all your tulips?"

It was as if the kiss last night had never happened. Wayne was back to teasing me like he usually did and I was back to hating him again. Not that this was any better; if I had my way, I wouldn't talk to Wayne at all. But at least things seemed back to normal.

"Egotistical prude should ring more than one bell for you," I spat at him.

Wayne smirked at me. "Well it's doesn't, so would you care to elaborate?"

"I'm really not in the mood to deal with you today," I rolled my eyes. "Actually, scratch that. I'm never in the mood to deal with you. Why are you even here, anyways?"

"I'm delivering your mail like I do every day," He smiled proudly.

"Since when do you deliver my mail at night?"

"Since you weren't home all day," Wayne shrugged, as though the answer was obvious.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You _do_ know you can deliver my mail when I'm not here, right?"

"Well what would be the fun in that?" Wayne winked at me.

I groaned. How did I ever find it within myself to kiss this guy? I couldn't even imagine feeling any type of romantic way towards him right now. Which was probably a good thing, since that meant I had at least _some_ of my feelings sorted out from last night.

But suddenly, an overpowering feeling that I couldn't quite place my finger on overcame me, and the words left my mouth before I could stop them. "So last night was just a fluke, right?"


End file.
